Apparatus and method for booting a system

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for booting a system are provided. The apparatus may comprise a boot block and a baseboard management controller coupled together in the system. The baseboard management controller may be configured to receive a request from the boot block for a basic input/output system image; determine at least one location to access the basic input/output system image; and obtain the basic input/output system image from the at least one location.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art, which may be related to various aspects of the present invention that are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Generally, a processor-based system includes Basic Input/Output System (“BIOS”) code to initialize the system in a boot process. The BIOS is utilized when a system is initially turned on to perform a series of instructions to test the components and to load the Operating System (“O/S”). The BIOS may include different portions of basic software to provide the initial set-up and configuration of the system.

The BIOS may be upgraded or updated by loading another version. The contents of the BIOS or a portion of the BIOS may be stored in a reprogrammable non-volatile memory, such as a FLASH memory or a non-volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM), to allow the contents of the BIOS to be changed. The act of changing the contents of non-volatile memory is often called “flashing” the memory. Typically, for the BIOS to be upgraded, support personnel often access the system at the system's site. This method of upgrading the BIOS is time consuming for the support personnel and increases the cost of supporting the system.

Further, to prevent the corruption of the BIOS, the flashing of the BIOS may include different security measures, such as maintaining redundant copies of the BIOS in the system. The redundant copies of the BIOS consume additional memory space within the system, which is merely utilized for security and back-up purposes. Along with consuming additional memory space, these redundant copies of the BIOS may conflict with each other and further complicate support issues for the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects commensurate in scope with the originally claimed invention are set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of certain forms the invention might take and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a system and method for booting a system is provided. The system comprises a boot block and a baseboard management controller. The baseboard management controller is configured to receive a request from the boot block for a basic input/output system image; determine a location to access the basic input/output system image; and obtain the basic input/output system image from the location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are apparent upon reading the following detailed description with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system in the network of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary baseboard management controller of FIG. 2 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of exemplary servers in the network of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating an exemplary boot block and baseboard management controller of FIG. 2 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram illustrating the use of the policy code in the exemplary baseboard management controller of FIG. 3 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

The techniques disclosed herein provide an improved approach for booting a system. Specifically, the techniques described herein include a boot block and baseboard management controller that are utilized to boot a system. The baseboard management controller is configured to receive a request from the boot block for a BIOS image; determine a location to access the BIOS image; and obtain the BIOS image from the location. By utilizing the baseboard management controller, the system may boot from BIOS images in different locations. Further, the baseboard management controller may utilize policy code to manage the access to different locations that include the BIOS images. Thus, the system may conserve memory space by booting from BIOS images that are external to the system and provide a simplified process for managing the versions of BIOS images provided to the system.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a network -architecture is illustrated and designated using a reference numeral 10. A network device 20 may be connected to a plurality of client systems 22, 24 and 26, which may take the form of personal computer systems, thin clients, workstations, desktop personal computer (“PC”), a notebook PC, a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or the like. The network device 20 may be connected to many different client systems, as designated by the variable “n.” The magnitude of “n” may be a function of the computing power of the network device 20. The network device 20 may include a router, switch, hub, bridge, and/or other suitable similar network devices.

The network device 20 may be connected via a network 30, which may include a combination of other hubs, switches, routers, or the like. While the network 30 is illustrated as being either a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), or a metropolitan area network (“MAN”), those skilled in the art will appreciate that the network 30 may assume other forms and may even provide network connectivity through the Internet. As described below, the network architecture 10 may include other servers as well, which may be dispersed geographically and/or logically with respect to each other to support client systems in other locations.

The network 30 may connect the network device 20 to another network device 40, which is similar to the network device 40. The network device 40 may be connected to one or more servers 42, 44, and 46 along with an external memory 48 via a network 50. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the network 50, which may include a LAN, a WAN, a MAN, or other network configuration, may be used to connect the server systems 42, 44 and 46 and the external memory 48 to the network device 40. The network device 40 may additionally be connected to the Internet 60, which may be connected to another network device 70. The network device 70 also may be connected to one or more client systems 72, 74 and 76, which may be computer systems, for example.

In the network architecture 10, the client systems 22, 24, 26, 72, 74 and 76 and the servers 42, 44, and 46 may communicate with each other to perform various tasks or operations. For example, the servers 42, 44 and 46 may provide applications and information to the client systems 22, 24, 26, 72, 74 and 76. Similarly, the external memory 48 may provide data storage for the client systems 22, 24, 26, 72, 74 and 76 and the servers 42, 44, and 46. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that each of the client systems 22, 24, 26, 72, 74 and 76 and the servers 42, 44, and 46 may be configured with various components and utilize various applications.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. For exemplary purposes, the computer system is referred to as the server 42. It should be understood, however, that the computer system is merely for exemplary purposes, as the client systems 22, 24, 26, 72, 74 and 76 and servers 44 and 46 may also include these various components. The architecture of the server 42 is given for purposes of illustration only, as computer systems in which the present teachings are applicable may include additional components or a subset of the components illustrated in FIG. 2.

The server 42 may include a processor complex 102, which may include a plurality of central processing units (“CPUs”). For instance, the processor may be an Intel Xeon, AMD Opteron, and the like. A core logic chipset 104, which may manage a variety of functions on behalf of the processor complex 102, may be connected to the processor complex 102 via a processor bus 103.

The core logic chipset 104 may be connected via memory bus 105 to a system random access memory (“RAM”) 106, which may comprise static random access memory (“SRAM”), dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”), synchronous DRAM (“SDRAM”) or other suitable memories. The memory may be a shared system memory to hold memory resident files. Further, the system RAM 106 may include a shadow BIOS 107, which is a copy of a BIOS image utilized by the processor complex 102 to complete the boot or initialization process, as discussed below. A video graphics controller 110 may be connected to the core logic chipset 104 via a video bus 108 to provide a signal that produces a display image on a video display 112.

A bus 109, such as a peripheral component interface (“PCI”) bus, registered PCI (“PCI-X”) or the like, may connect the core logic chipset to a variety of system devices, such as a network interface card 122 and a PCI/PCI bridge 124. The network interface card 122 may provide communication capability to the server 42 via a communication bus 119. The communication bus 119 may be connected to other computer systems, as discussed above. The PCI/PCI bridge 124 may provide capacity for additional PCI devices on a PCI bus 117.

A PCI/SCSI bus adapter 115 may provide access to SCSI devices, such as a disk drive 130 and a tape drive 132, via a SCSI bus 131. A PCI/ATA controller 118 may provide access to additional devices such as a disk drive 128 and a CD ROM drive 134. A PCI/EISA/LPC bridge 116 may provide access to system devices such as a read only memory basic input/output system (“ROM BIOS”) 140, a non-volatile memory 142 (such as flash memory or the like), a modem 120 or the like via a bus 113. The modem 120 may provide communication access via a phone line 121. Also, the ROM BIOS 140 may include BIOS code or a portion of the BIOS code. The BIOS code may be divided into two portions, such as a boot block 143 and a BIOS image 144, which are discussed below in greater detail. An input/output controller 126, which may be connected to the bus 113 may provide access to system devices such as a floppy disk drive 150, a serial port 152 a real time clock (“RTC”) 154, a CD ROM drive 145, a keyboard 146, a mouse 148 and the like.

A baseboard management controller (“BMC”) 111 may be connected to the bus 109 to perform system management and status operations. For instance, the BMC 111 may manage the environmental functions for the server 42, receive and log event data for the server 42, manage sensor interfaces, and provide access to the network 50 via the communication bus 114.

To communicate with other components and systems, the BMC 111 may be coupled to internal components via the bus 109, the NIC 122 via a bus 123, and the network 50 via a communication bus 114. From these different connections, the BMC 111 may communicate with other components regardless of the operational state of the O/S of the server 42. For example, the BMC 111 may communicate with the boot block 143 independent from the processor complex 102, which may be executing the O/S or may be shutdown. Because of this independent operation, the BMC 111 may be utilized by the boot block 143 as part of the boot process. The boot process may include a power-on self test, which performs software instructions to allow the computer to begin the process of verifying components and loading the configuration for the components. In the boot process, the boot block 143 may verify the operation of specific components and utilize the BMC 111 to load the BIOS image. The BIOS image may then be utilized to complete the boot process. Thus, the boot block 143 may initialize the server 42 until sufficient system RAM 106 is available to accommodate the shadow BIOS 107, which may be obtained by the BMC 111.

Beneficially, the use of the BMC 111 by the boot block 143 may enable the server 42 to obtain a BIOS image from one or more locations, which may be local to and/or remote from the server 42. To obtain the BIOS image, the boot block 143 may provide a request to the BMC 111 for a BIOS image being requested. The request may specify a version or a family of the BIOS image. Then, the BMC 111 may obtain the BIOS image, which may be the BIOS image 144 or another BIOS image that may be local or external to the server 42. That is, the BMC 111 may obtain the BIOS image from different locations, internal and external to the server 42. Once the BIOS is obtained, the boot block 143 may validate and complete the boot process by utilizing the BIOS image, which is loaded into system RAM 106 as a shadow BIOS 107.

As an example, the boot block 143 may initialize a portion of the system RAM 106 to support the shadow BIOS. The boot block 143 may communicate with the BMC 111 to obtain the BIOS image. To determine the appropriate location of the BIOS image, the BMC 111 may execute a policy sequence or code that defines one or more locations that store the BIOS image. Accordingly, the BMC 111 may utilize its components to access the BIOS image from local or remote locations. Then, the BMC 111 may provide the BIOS image to the boot block 143 for validation and verification of the BIOS image. Once the BIOS image is validated, the BIOS image may be loaded into the system RAM 106 to complete the initialization of the server 42.

An exemplary BMC 111 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary BMC 111 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The components of the BMC 111 may be implemented as hardware, such as application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) or field gate arrays (“FGAs”), and/or software, such as routines or code to be executed by a processor. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that implementation details, such as deciding which functional aspects of BMC 111 are implemented in hardware or software, are matters of design choice.

For purposes of describing the BMC 111 clearly, the BMC 111 is described as being implemented as a single ASIC, which may be incorporated into the server 42. As shown above, systems may be connected directly or indirectly to the BMC 111 through its network connection, which is more fully described below. Systems may also interface with the BMC 111 through additional communications interfaces, such as a modem or USB ports.

The BMC 111 may be implemented so that it is powered and capable of operation regardless of the operational status of the server 42. This independent operation allows the BMC 111 to be utilized in the boot process to communicate with other systems or external memories, such as external memory 48.

The BMC 111 may include a processor 160 along with various logic components to provide different interaction with the components of the server 42. For instance, the processor 160 provides general control and functions as a management processor for the BMC 111. The processor 160 may be implemented as a 32-bit RISC processor, but other processor implementations may be employed as well. The processor 160 is operatively coupled to a timer module 162 and an interrupt controller 164 via a peripheral bus 166.

In one exemplary embodiment, a memory controller 168 is operatively coupled to the processor 160 via an internal local bus 170. Further, the memory controller 168 is operatively coupled to dedicated memory 172, such as battery-backed SRAM or flash memory. However, other types of memory may also be utilized, which may include SDRAM, ROM, NVRAM or any other appropriate type of memory. Within the dedicated memory 172 may be policy code 174. The policy code 174 may be a software routine that includes a listing of devices and an order of the devices to access for a BIOS image.

The processor 160 is operatively coupled to the other functional modules (and possibly many sub-modules) of the BMC 111 via an internal local bus 170. Those of ordinary skill in the field will appreciate that the internal local bus 170 facilitates communication between and among the logical components of the BMC 111. For instance, an address translation and bridging (“ATB”) unit 176 may be operatively coupled to the internal local bus 170 and to the bus 109. The ATB unit 176 provides access to the bus 109 for the different logic components of the BMC 111. Also, a sideband NIC interface 178 may be utilized to communicate with the NIC 122.

Further, the BMC 111 may include communication interfaces that can be employed to establish out-of-band communication sessions for the BMC 111. One such communication interface is a UART interface 180, which is operatively coupled to internal local bus 170. The exemplary UART interface 180 may include two standard 16550 UARTs, each of which may provide a separate serial communication interface via an RS-232 interface or the Intelligent Chassis Management Bus (“ICMB”) interface. Another such communication interface is a USB interface 182, which is operatively coupled to the internal local bus 170. The USB interface 182 may be coupled to a USB host controller (not shown). Further, a Network Interface Card (“NIC”) 184, which is operatively coupled to the internal local bus 170, provides another external communication interface between the BMC 111 and network 50. The NIC 184 may include a MAC (Media Access Controller), inbound and outbound FIFOs, a DMA engine to transfer packets automatically to and from memory, an external PHY, typical magnetics and connectors to couple the PHY to the wire that serves as the transmission media to the network 50.

Another functionality provided by the BMC 111 is to provide the hardware infrastructure to implement control and monitoring functions in the server 42 as dictated by the processor 160. To perform this functionality, the slave instrumentation module 186 may include various components and logic. For instance, the slave instrumentation module 186 may include an automatic server recovery (“ASR”) controller that operates to respond automatically to catastrophic failures of the server 42 and a general purpose input/output module (“GPIO”) that provides a versatile communication interface. A JTAG master may also be utilized to perform a wide range of control functions on the server 42. Further, an I²C master may be utilized to control a plurality of independent I²C serial channels. The slave instrumentation module 186 may also include system support logic to provide a variety of housekeeping and security functions for the server 42, such as providing the EISA bus ID, flash ROM support, ECC support, hot spare boot support, system post monitor support, floppy write protect, SMI base security measures, open hood detection and the like.

Beneficially, by utilizing the policy code 174 within the BMC 111, the boot process for the server 42 may be modified to access different devices or systems to load the BIOS image. That is, the boot block 143 may utilize the policy code 174 to manage the access to different locations while the server 42 is being booted. In this configuration, the BIOS image does not have to be local to the server 42, but may be located in external memory 48 remote from the server 42. More details of the use of the BMC 111 in the server 42 are described in relation to FIG. 4, which is discussed below.

FIG. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of exemplary servers in the network of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Referring briefly to FIG. 1, recall that the servers 42, 44 and 46 along with the external memory 48 are coupled together via a network 50. Each of these servers 42, 44 and 46 may include a boot block 143, shadow BIOS 107 in the system RAM 106, and a BMC 111. The boot block 143 may use the BMC 111 to access a first BIOS image 196 or a second BIOS image 198 in the external memory 48 to be loaded into the respective server 42, 44 and 46. By downloading one of the BIOS images 196 and 198, a single instance of the BIOS image 196 or 198 may be loaded into multiple systems, such as the servers 42, 44 and 46. In addition, the cost of maintaining a large flash ROM on each server 42, 44 and 46 may be reduced because the BIOS images 196 and 198 are located in the external memory 48.

Accordingly, various code and components of the present embodiment may operate in a similar manner to those discussed above in FIGS. 1-3. For instance, the boot block 143, which may be referred to individually as boot blocks 143 ₁, 143 ₂, and 143 _(N), and shadow BIOS 107, which may be referred to individually as shadow BIOSs 107 ₁, 107 ₂, and 107 _(N), may operate as discussed above. Similarly, the processor complex 102, which may be referred to individually as processor complexes 102 ₁, 102 ₂, and 102 _(N), the BIOS ROM 140, which may be referred to individually as BIOS ROMs 140 ₁, 140 ₂, and 140 _(N), the system RAM 106, which may be referred to individually as system RAMs 106 ₁, 106 ₂, and 106 _(N), and the BMC 111, which may be referred to individually as BMCs 111 ₁, 111 ₂, and 111 _(N), may also operate as discussed above.

In FIG. 4, each of the servers 42, 44 and 46 may load different BIOS images 196 and 198 as part of the boot process on each of the servers 42, 44 and 46. The first BIOS image 196 and the second BIOS image 198 are shown as part of the external memory 48. The BIOS images 196 and 198 may be different versions of a family of BIOS images or BIOS images for different types of systems. As an example of the boot process, the boot block 143 ₁ communicates with the BMC 111 ₁ to access the first BIOS image 196. Then, the external memory 48 may provide the first BIOS image 196 to the server 42 for validation by the boot block 143 ₁, and for execution by the processor complex 102 ₁. Once validated, the shadow BIOS 107 ₁ may be loaded in the system RAM 106 ₁ to complete the boot process. Similarly, the boot block 143 ₂ communicates with the BMC 111 ₂ to access the first BIOS image 196, which results in the shadow BIOS 107 ₂ being loaded in the system RAM 106 ₂. However, the boot block 143 _(N) communicates with the BMC 111 _(N) to access the second BIOS image 198, which results in the shadow BIOS 107 _(N) being loaded in the system RAM 106 _(N).

Accordingly, one or more of the BIOS images 196 and 198 may be utilized by each of the servers 42, 44 and 46 to load the respective shadow BIOSs 107 that complete the initialization for each of the servers 42, 44 and 46. As an example, the shadow BIOS 107 ₁ may be a copy of the BIOS image 196, which is located in the system RAM 106 ₁. The shadow BIOS 107 ₁ may be executed by the processor complex 102 ₁, to load the O/S 192 ₁ and then the applications 194 ₁. During the boot process, the boot block 143 may complete the initialization process by obtaining the first BIOS image 196 from the external memory 48 by utilizing the BMC 111, which is remotely located from the server 42. Similarly, the shadow BIOS 107 ₂ may be utilized to load the O/S 192 ₂ and then the applications 194 ₂, while the shadow BIOS 107 _(N) may be utilized to load the O/S 192 _(N) and the applications 194 _(N).

Beneficially, by utilizing the BMC 111 to access BIOS images 196 and 198 from the external memory 48, one or more systems may be uniformly initialized and/or upgraded with new BIOS images. For instance, this technique may allow a single instance of a BIOS image to be utilized by multiple servers. Specifically, as noted above, a BIOS image that is located in the external memory 48 may be utilized to provide the same version of a BIOS image for multiple systems, such as servers 42 and 44. This allows support personnel to modify the BIOS image in multiple systems with a single instance of the BIOS image. As a result of this technique, the support personnel does not have to travel to the location for each system or individually upgrade each system

In addition, by having a centralized BIOS image, such as the BIOS images 196 and 198, the memory space consumed with a local copy or multiple copies within a system may also be removed. That is, the cost associated with providing memory for maintaining the BIOS image on the system along with the associated redundancy and backup versions may be reduced because the BIOS image portion of the BIOS code may be located external to the system. For instance, with a centralized BIOS image, the boot block 143 for each server 42, 44 and 46 may download the appropriate BIOS image from external memory 48. A copy of the BIOS image would not have to be locally stored on each of the servers 42, 44 and 46. In fact, the BIOS image in the external memory 48 may even be geographically distributed from each of the servers 42, 44 and 46. However, for redundancy purposes multiple copies are generally stored on the system, a single copy would be utilized to provide a back-up version of the BIOS image, not multiple local copies. The boot process is further discussed in greater detail in FIGS. 5 and 6 below.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating the use of the exemplary boot block 143 and BMC 111 of FIG. 2 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The process flow diagram is generally referred to by reference numeral 200. The process flow diagram 200 may be best understood by concurrently viewing FIGS. 1-4. In the process flow diagram 200, the boot block 143 may communicate with the BMC 111 to obtain a BIOS image for the system. The BMC 111 may utilize the policy code 174 to determine the location of the BIOS image to be accessed for the system. That is, the boot block 143 may utilize the BMC 111 to manage the access and procurement of the BIOS image from memory that is external or local to the system.

The process begins at block 202. At block 204, the boot block 143 initializes the system RAM 106 within the system, which may be the server 42. The initialization process may include determining whether specific components of the system are corrupt. The boot block 143 may repair or flag components that are corrupt. Then, the boot block 143 may request a BIOS image from the BMC 111, as shown in block 206. The request may include an indication of the version of the BIOS image, type of the BIOS image, the family of the BIOS image, or other suitable information to indicate the version of the BIOS image to be loaded.

In blocks 208-212, the BMC 111 may obtain the BIOS image. At block 208, the BMC 111 may utilize the policy code 174 in the BMC 111 to determine the location of the BIOS image, which may be one of the BIOS images 196 or 198. Then, at block 210, the BMC 111 may obtain the BIOS image. To obtain the BIOS image, the BMC 111 may utilize different components to access the BIOS image, such as the USB interface 182 and/or the NIC 184. At block 210, the BMC 111 may download the BIOS image from the location that is designated by the policy code 174. Once the BIOS image has been accessed, the BIOS image may be loaded into the system RAM 106 by the BMC 111, as shown in block 212.

In blocks 214-222, the boot block 143 may verify the load of the BIOS image, validate the BIOS image obtained by the BMC 111, and continue the boot or initialization process. At block 214, the boot block 143 may determine if the BIOS image is loaded into the system RAM 106. If the BIOS image is not loaded, then the boot block 143 may wait for a pre-determined period of time, as shown at block 216. Once the time period has been expired, the boot block 143 may again determine if the BIOS image is loaded into the system RAM 106 in block 214. However, if the BIOS image is loaded, the boot block 143 may determine whether the BIOS image is a valid version of the BIOS image, as shown in block 218. The validation may include comparing the CRC, digital signature, hash or other calculated value of the BIOS image with a previously stored value. If the BIOS image is not validated, then the boot block 143 may request another BIOS image, as shown in block 206. However, if the BIOS image is validated, then the execution of the boot process is transferred from the boot block 143 to the shadow BIOS 107, as shown in block 220. At block 222, the shadow BIOS 107 may continue the boot process. The continued boot process may include performing the POST, configuring setting for various components, and loading the O/S. Accordingly, the process ends at block 224.

Beneficially, using the boot block 143 along with the BMC 111 may provide an efficient method of obtaining the BIOS image because the BMC 111 may access a variety of locations. As such, the BIOS image may be located in network systems, such as external memory 48 or another server 44 or 46, and/or locally in a flash memory or NVRAM. This provides flexibility in determine the location of the BIOS image. Also, as noted above, the policy code 174 in the BMC 111 determines the location of the BIOS image. The operation of the policy code is shown in greater detail in FIG. 6 below.

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram illustrating the use of the policy code 174 in the exemplary BMC 111 of FIG. 3 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The process flow diagram is generally referred to by reference numerals 230. The process flow diagram 230 may be best understood by concurrently viewing FIGS. 1-4. In the process flow diagram 230, the policy code 174 may receive a request from the boot block 143 to obtain a specific type or family of BIOS images. The policy code 174 may determine the order and locations to search for the BIOS image, as set forth below.

The process begins at block 232. At block 234, the policy code 174 receives a request from the boot block 143. As noted above, the request may include an indication of the version, type, and/or family of the BIOS image. The policy code 174 may then follow a defined policy or sequence to load the BIOS image, which is shown in blocks 236-254. At block 236, the policy code 174 may initially attempt to access the BIOS image via an external memory, such as the external memory 48. The processor 160 executing the policy code 174 may utilize the NIC 184 to access the external memory 48, as discussed above. If the policy code 174 obtains the BIOS image from the external memory 48, then the BIOS image is downloaded, as shown in block 238. Then, the BIOS image is validated by the boot block 143, as shown in block 240, which is similar to the discussion of block 218 in FIG. 5. However, if the policy code 174 does not obtain the BIOS image from the external memory 48, then the policy code 174 may log the failure to access the BIOS image from the external memory 48, as shown in block 242.

Following the failed attempt, the policy code 174 may access a second location in an attempt to obtain the BIOS image, as shown in blocks 244 and 246. At block 244, the policy code 174 may determine whether it can access the BIOS image from flash memory, which may be the non-volatile memory 142. The processor 160 executing the policy code 174 may utilize the ATB unit 176 to access the flash memory via the bus 109, as discussed above. If the policy code 174 obtains the BIOS image from the flash memory, then the BIOS image is downloaded, as shown in block 238. However, if the policy code 174 does not obtain the BIOS image from the flash memory, then the policy code 174 may log the failure to access the BIOS image from the flash memory, as shown in block 246.

At blocks 248 and 250, the policy code 174 may access a third location to obtain the BIOS image. At block 248, the policy code 174 may determine whether it can access the BIOS image from BIOS ROM, such as the BIOS ROM 140. The processor 160 executing the policy code 174 may again utilize the ATB 176 to access the BIOS ROM via the bus 109, as discussed above. If the policy code 174 obtains the BIOS image from the BIOS ROM, then the BIOS image is downloaded, as shown in block 238. However, if the policy code 174 does not obtain the BIOS image from the BIOS ROM, then the policy code 174 may log the failure to access the BIOS image from the BIOS ROM, as shown in block 250.

If the policy code 174 is unable to access a BIOS image from any of the locations, then the policy code may notify the boot block 143 regarding failure to obtain a BIOS image, as shown in block 252. The boot block may then request a previous version of the BIOS image be downloaded by the policy code 174. Accordingly, if a previous version of the BIOS image is requested by the boot block 143, then the process continues at block 242. However, if the boot block 143 does not request a previous BIOS image or the BIOS image is downloaded, the process ends at block 254.

Because the policy code 174 is accessible on the BMC 111, the policy code 174 may be updated or modified to provide different locations for accessing the BIOS image. With the policy code 174 managing the access to the BIOS image, changing the locations to be accessed to obtain the BIOS image may be simplified. That is, boot block 143 does not have to be modified to provide for a change in locations to be accessed or even in the policy flow. Further, support personnel may provide an updated BIOS image to multiple systems by simply updating the BIOS image in a centralized location.

While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims. 

1. A system comprising: a boot block; and a baseboard management controller coupled to the boot block and configured to: receive a request from the boot block for a basic input/output system image; determine at least one location to access the basic input/output system image; and obtain the basic input/output system image from the at least one location.
 2. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the baseboard management controller comprises: a processor; and a memory adapted to store policy code configured to determine at least one location to access the basic input/output system image.
 3. The system, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the baseboard management controller comprises: a network interface card coupled to the processor; and wherein the policy code is configured to utilize the network interface card to obtain the basic input/output system image from the at least one location.
 4. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one location is an external memory coupled to the baseboard management controller via a network.
 5. The system, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the network is a local area network.
 6. The system, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the baseboard management controller is configured to load the basic input/output system image into the system random access memory to complete the initialization of the system.
 7. A system comprising: an external memory having a plurality of basic input/output system images; and a device coupled to the external memory via a network, the device comprising: a boot block; and a baseboard management controller configured to: access the external memory to obtain one of the plurality of basic input/output system images; and provide the one of the plurality of basic input/output system images to the system memory.
 8. The system, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the boot block is configured to request a family of basic input/output system images.
 9. The system, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the boot block is configured to validate the one of the plurality of basic input/output system images.
 10. The system, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the validation comprises comparing the digital signature of the one of the plurality of basic input/output system images with a previously stored digital signature.
 11. The system, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the baseboard management controller comprises: a processor; and a policy code configured to determine a location to obtain the one of the plurality of basic input/output system images for the boot block.
 12. The system, as set forth in claim 11, wherein the policy code is configured to: access the external memory to obtain the one of the plurality of basic input/output system images; and access a flash memory within the at least one device to obtain the one of the plurality of basic input/output system images, if the baseboard management controller cannot access the one of the plurality of basic input/output system images from the external memory.
 13. The system, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the network is a wide area network. 14-20. (canceled)
 21. A system, comprising: a system processor; a boot block associated with the system processor, the boot block being adopted to provide a request for a basic input/output system image, the request being provided independent from the operation of the system processor; a baseboard management controller that stores the basic input/output system image, the baseboard management controller being adapted to receive the request for the basic input/output system image, to determine a location to access the basic input/output system image, to obtain the basic input/output system image from the location, and to provide the basic input/output system image to the boot block; and wherein the boot block is adapted to receive the basic input/output system image from the baseboard management controller, to load the basic input/output system image into a system random access memory as a shadow basic input/output system image, and to transfer control of the initialization process from the boot block to the shadow basic input/output system image.
 22. A system, comprising: a system processor; and a boot block associated with the system processor, the boot block being adopted to provide a request for a basic input/output system image, the request being provided independent from the operation of the system processor, to receive the basic input/output system image, to load the basic input/output system image into a system random access memory as a shadow basic input/output system image, to validate the basic input/output system image, and to transfer control of the initialization process from the boot block to the shadow basic input/output system image.
 23. The system recited in claim 21, comprising a baseboard management controller that stores the basic input/output system image, the baseboard management controller being adapted to receive the request for the basic input/output system image, to determine a location to access the basic input/output system image, to obtain the basic input/output system image from the location, and to provide the basic input/output system image to the boot block. 